


Circus Acts and Chaos [ Jerome Valeska x Reader]

by TricksterGirl



Category: Fox Gotham, Gotham (TV), Gotham fox - Fandom
Genre: Age Difference, Creepy, DC Gotham, DC tv, F/M, Four Year age gap, Gotham, Happy, Obsession, Possessive Behavior, Possessive Jerome, Sad, dc, possessive
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-02
Updated: 2017-03-08
Packaged: 2018-09-27 23:05:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,017
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10055969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TricksterGirl/pseuds/TricksterGirl
Summary: You get sold to the circus, but what will happen when a certain red-haired boy becomes obsessed with you?





	1. The Selling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning(s): Short Starter to just give some background knowledge; So, this is back in the past when you first met him. Read warnings to see the time skips that may happen. :)
> 
> Age: Jerome: 9  
> You: 5
> 
> (There is a four-year gap. A bit big for younger people, but it is similar to a Freshman dating a Senior. )
> 
> Title: Circus Acts and Chaos  
> Number in Series: One  
> Pairing: Jerome Valeska x Reader  
> Fandom: Gotham  
> Word Count: 844

Holding your suitcase tight in your hands, you looked up at the man who was coming to bring you back to the circus. You had already cried, too much to produce any more tears. You were out of them, just left with the hollow and terrifying fear that rested in the pit of your stomach. Your long hair had been pulled up out of your face into a tight pony-tail, one of your family's last touch to make you look presentable. 

You knew they didn't care about you or they wouldn't have sold you into this place. Sure, they were in need of money, but that didn't mean they had to sell you. They had other options, but they chose this one. You couldn't understand why. You just felt like it was all your fault and that you had done something wrong, even if you didn't know what you did. They wouldn't sell you unless you did something, right? 

As you were led into the circus which was shut down for the night, you didn't know how to respond. It was packed with workers who were all going about their normal life. They didn't even seem to notice you, which you weren't sure how to feel about. You didn't want them to look at them but you also hated knowing this was your new life. What if they never accepted you? 

"This is your tent," The man said before quickly walking away, not explaining anything else to you. Unsure of what to do, you slowly walked in your tent to see what it was like. It was small and only filled with a cot and a trunk to put all your belongings in. You dropped your suitcase, slowly walking over to your new bed. As you crawled on it, you realized that it was so uncomfortable. 

You were about to start to cry again but were stopped when someone entered your tent. It was a boy, just a bit older than you. He had red curls and bright gray eyes. He was wearing just a tattered shirt with dirty jeans. He reminded you of the kids that played outside of your house...Or, well, your old house. It wasn't your house anymore, so you shouldn't keep calling it your home. 

"You're new," He stated, not phrasing it as a question like you had assumed he was going to. 

"Yeah..." You mumbled. 

He walked over to your cot, hopping up on it to sit beside you. He seemed nice enough and he was making you feel more comfortable about the whole situation. Maybe it was just due to talking to someone about the whole thing. You heard that when you talked to someone about what you were scared of, it helped. You didn't think anything could help with how you felt, but you could be wrong. Deep down, you wanted to be wrong. You wanted to feel happy again and not this emptiness that you felt as soon as you got in the car to go to the circus. 

Most kids would love going to the circus, but they weren't being sold. They were going there to have fun and nothing more. They wouldn't have to live there. You wished you were them, but you knew that you weren't. You had to accept that this was happening, no matter how much you wanted it all to be a dream. It wasn't a nightmare and you couldn't wake up. 

"Why you here?" He asked, leaning back against his palms.

"My mommy and daddy sold me..."

Jerome's eyes widened, confused and shocked by what you said. That only lasted for a moment before a small smile found it's way to his face. He never assumed that he would find someone like him. He assumed that most parents were okay with their children. Here you were, both parents selling you to the circus. You were both alike and he loved it. A deep bond formed in him at that moment, one that wouldn't break until both of you were dead. He decided that you were his and he was yours at that moment, even with the young mind. Of course, he didn't know what it would lead to in the future, but he knew that he was going to keep you close to him, no matter what. 

"Don't worry," Jerome wrapped his arm around your shoulder, pulling you close to his chest. Without thinking, you buried your head in his shoulder, fresh tears that you didn't think you had left, spilling down and soaking his shirt. He didn't seem to mind, as all he did was wrap his other arm around you and hold you tight. You had formed a bond with him, your little child mind needing someone to protect you from everything that was scary. He rested his chin on the top of your head. You heard him whisper in your ear in a calming voice, 

"All we need is each other in this world. No one else is going to help us. But, I'll help you.."


	2. The Hurt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning(s): Animal Violence.
> 
> Age: Jerome: 12  
> You: 8
> 
> (There is a four-year gap. A bit big for younger people, but it is similar to a Freshman dating a Senior. )
> 
> Title: Circus Acts and Chaos  
> Number in Series: Two  
> Pairing: Jerome Valeska x Reader  
> Fandom: Gotham  
> Word Count: 1,627

One day while you were preparing for your act, you noticed a dog without a collar lurking around. It didn't look like it belonged to anyone, so you just assumed it was a wild dog. They were common but normally they didn't come around the tent area. They went near the food and tried to steal some. Yet, this one seemed to be getting closer and closer to the area where you were. 

You didn't pay attention to it because all the other dogs just ran away after a while. They weren't anything to worry about, at least that was what you thought. Of course, there were the few that may have rabies, but you can normally tell with that. They are oddly distant when they have rabies. So, you just went on with practicing your act, knowing you would get in trouble if they saw that you were taking a break. 

Jerome was sitting on a chair that he pulled up, watching you practice. He would spend almost all of his time with you, only going back to his own resting area when he was yelled at. He never liked to leave you alone, either due to him being afraid you would get hurt or that someone might mess with you. Certain members began to like you, but others hadn't gotten that far. They still teased you for being sold to the circus. Jerome would yell at them for what they said, but he still was only twelve. He could only be so threatening. 

"You're doing great, (Y/N)," He said as he watched you. He still couldn't understand how you were able to do so much with your body. It looked like it hurt and sometimes it made him feel scared. He told you to be careful and made sure you didn't hurt yourself when you started something new. He knew how dangerous that could be, espically with what you were learning. 

"Thanks," You giggled as you easily did a handstand. These were your warmups before you actually started to do the serious stuff. You had to warm up your muscles so you wouldn't hurt yourself when you started to do the hard stuff. 

"Do you want to try?" You asked, looking at Jerome. He looked silly since you were looking at him while being upside down. All of your hair was flowing down, some of it resitng on the dirt. You began to spread your legs, so once you were finished, you were doing a split while still holding yourself up with your arms. You thought it was called a spread eagle, but you weren't sure. You might have heard that wrong, but you couldn't remember. That was how a lot of the stuff in the circus felt like. You might hear something, but who knows if it is true or if you just heard it wrong. That's when you would always go and ask Jerome as in your mind, he was the smartest person in the world. 

"You know I can't do that," He chuckled as you giggled at his respond. 

"But it's so easy~" You teased. 

"Yeah, you make it look easy. I bet it isn't though. I'd just fall on my head if I tried to do it," Both of you began to laugh, causing you to stop doing what you were doing. You couldn't hold yourself up when you were laughing as much as you were. So, you kicked your leg down and soon you were sitting on your butt, laughing with Jerome. 

Ever since the day that you were sold to the circus, you never seemed to be separated from Jerome. At first, it started due to your fear of a new place. You would hold his hand and he would lead you everywhere you needed to go. Now it was different. While he still made you feel safe, it was more due to a friendship. The two of you were close and didn't like to be apart. It wasn't just because you were a little girl afraid of a new place. You knew the place now and weren't scared of it, but you still wanted him close. You didn't truly understand it, but that didn't matter to you. 

Soon you went back to practicing. If one of the meaner circus workers saw you relaxing and having fun with Jerome when you were suppose to be practicing, you would get in deep trouble. They would punish you, which was something that you didn't want. You had been punished before, but normally that meant you had to do more chores. You hated it, but if ever were punished, Jerome would help with the chores. He knew that some of them were too hard for you to do, whether it was just due to how small you were or if what you had to do required more strength than you had. 

You slowly bent backward until you were in a backbend, your hands, and feet both on the ground. All this time while you were practicing, the dog was in the background, pacing back and forth. It was hard to tell what it was doing, but if you had to guess, you would say that it was looking for something. You thought you heard it growl, but you just assumed that was just your imagination. 

You were a contortionist for the circus and they had begun to teach you how to do the ribbons. They said you would do the silk ribbons and aerial hoops when you were older, which you were slightly excited for. When you watched the only other girl who did it, who seemed to be in her early thirties, it looked like so much fun. Yes, it was scary due to the height, but that was why you were starting so young. You would get used to the height. 

Without any warning, the dog rushed over and bit down hard on your leg. You yelped, falling out of your backbend. Instead, you fell hard on your back. It hit the dirt ground hard, causing a bit of pain to rush through your back. Still, that was just from falling, it wasn't a bad pain. The bad pain was coming from the teeth that had pierced your skin. That was really hurting! 

Just as you began to cry due to the pain, the dog lets go. When you looked, it was because of Jerome. He had kicked the dog off of you, yelling the entire time. The look on his face was terrifying. You had seen it before, as it was his mad face, but you never saw it like this before. This was so extreme that it was almost scary. You might be scared if you weren't focusing on the pain that was coming from your leg. 

"Don't you dare touch her!" He shouted, his boot coming into contact with the dog's stomach. You heard it whimper before letting out as much of a growl that it could. Still, Jerome didn't stop. He kept kicking in the stomach, letting his rage out on this dog that had attacked you. You might have said something, but you were too busy dealing with your bleeding ankle. It wasn't bad, but it would need to be wrapped. It would be fine after a good nights sleep. 

Once Jerome had let all his anger out on the dog, he stopped kicking it. It let out loud whimpers as it walked away, limping terribly. Jerome must have hurt its insides. You wondered if the dog had a broken rib. It was scary to see Jerome like this, as you had never seen him this mad before. You didn't know that he could get that mad about anything. He was always so nice when he was around you. 

He quickly turned around when he decided that the dog was far enough away that it wasn't going to be coming back. The look of anger vanished almost immediately and was replaced by a look of worry. You felt the love that he felt for you just from that look and it made you forget about the pain. He was your hero. What would you do without him? 

"Are you alright?" He asked, rushing over to look at your ankle. 

"I'm fine...It isn't that bad, but it will need to be wrapped..." You mumbled, watching him as he looked over your ankle. Every now and again when he would touch it in a certain way, you would wince in pain. As soon as he noticed, he would stop and be more gentle. You knew it was hard for him to be gentle when he was worrying. Still, it did hurt when he touched the wound.

"Come on, let's go get that wrapped. " Jerome bent down and scooped you up in his arms. He began to walk you back to your tent, easily carrying you. You wrapped your arms around his neck and buried your head in his neck. You didn't know what you would do without him. You would be lost and just another scared little girl. You let out a little sigh, a small smile on your face. 

"Thank you, Jerome..." You said quietly as you shut your eyes. 

"Don't thank me. I would do anything for you (Y/N). I mean that. I would do literally anything for you," You didn't know what he meant by that, but it would become clear as the two of you grew up. There would be a lot more instances where you would finally understand what he would do for you. Still, at the moment, you just thought he was being sweet by what he was saying. 

"I love you Jerome..."

"I love you too, (Y/N)."


	3. The Rumors

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning(s): None. 
> 
> Age: Jerome: 14  
> You: 10
> 
> (There is a four-year gap. A bit big for younger people, but it is similar to a Freshman dating a Senior. )
> 
> Title: Circus Acts and Chaos  
> Number in Series: Three  
> Pairing: Jerome Valeska x Reader  
> Fandom: Gotham  
> Word Count: 1,544

After a long day, Jerome walked back with you to your tent. His hand was clasped around yours tightly as if he was afraid you would run away if he let go. You wouldn't, of course, but that didn't keep him from worrying. You were the only person he allowed to get this close to him. He was everything to you and you were everything to him. He wouldn't let you leave him, no matter how much he didn't think you would. He wouldn't let you. You weren't going to end up like the others who were just playing him. You meant what you said to him, which was true.

After years of being together, he had shown you sides of him you never thought you would see. Most of the sides were protective, always defending you when some of the other workers tried to poke fun at you. It only went as far as shouting, but you couldn't ignore the anger in his eyes when that dog attacked you. You knew you should be happy he would protect you, and you were. Still, it was odd to know someone would do that much for you, especially when compared to your family who sold you. They were supposed to be the people who would do everything for you and they never did anything. They sold you out of their life. Jerome taught you to forget them, they were your enemies in the past. 

You sighed, shaking your head slightly. You didn't need to think about that. It didn't matter anymore. You weren't with them; you were with the circus. That was what was important. You needed to make sure your act was interesting and that you were bringing people in to watch. You needed to make the circus some money. That was your job now. They held you accountable for your actions now. If you didn't bring in enough people, you would be punished. 

"What's wrong?" Jerome asked, glancing over at you. His red locks were pushed back with gel, something that he did for his act. The circus was just closing, which meant that everyone was still in their work outfits. 

"Nothing, just thinking about the past..." You shrugged, offering him a smile to show that you were fine. 

"Don't think about that. All that does is make us feel terrible. The past doesn't matter and neither does the future. All we need to think about is the now where we are together. We will be able to deal with everything." He squeezed your hand, almost too tightly. You knew he was trying to comfort you, but his grip hurt. Was he trying to convince himself more than you about what he was saying? You couldn't tell. 

"Yeah, you're right. Let's go rest. I'm tired and sore. Today was way too long." 

"Yeah. Seemed longer than normal," Jerome responded, his traditional smile on his face. You had grown to love that smile, but you heard whispers that others were scared of it. Others said it was hiding something, though you knew they were wrong. Jerome wasn't hiding anything, especially from you. He told you everything and vice versa. You didn't keep secrets from each other. 

The others didn't know about your relationship like the two of you. They couldn't judge either of you because they didn't know you enough to. At least, that was how you viewed it. You didn't want to listen to what they said about Jerome because you knew they were wrong. Everyone had it out for him in your mind. He was nothing like they said. Sure, he could get angry sometimes, but he was a generally a happy guy. 

His motto was laughter is the best medicine. How could someone who believes that be as bad as they say? They think he may become dangerous as he gets older but you know that is all a load of horse poop. Jerome was going to grow up fine and you knew that to your core. You couldn't imagine him being anything other than your knight in shining armor. 

Rain droplets began to fall as you reached your tent. The two of you walked inside, making it just in time as the downpour started just as you got inside. Your tent was made to hold against harsh weather, so you didn't care. You actually enjoyed the rain, the sound of it was relaxing to you. It lulled you off to sleep many a night. You weren't sure why, but it helped. You could never figure out why you liked the sound. 

You jumped up on your cot, stretching your arms over your head. You were wearing some old clothing that was a few sizes too big. You didn't know whose they were before they were yours, but that didn't matter. A lot of the clothes in the circus were hand-me-downs. It was cheaper that way. They may be patched up with other cloth, but they never went to waste. Even if they weren't wearable anymore, they were turned into a rag for something. 

Jerome sat down beside you. He was beginning to shape up into a strong man. He wasn't there just yet, but he was definitely maturing. It was weird to see someone you weren't used to looking grown up to be looking older. His shoulders were getting broader and his voice was getting deeper. You noticed a few other changes, but those were the main ones. He explained how you would be hitting puberty soon and what to do once you did. 

A few of the kinder female workers said they would help you with that when it happened. Jerome knew what happened, but he wasn't too informed on it. He would help you, but he still wasn't certain about what happened. That was where the girls came in. They explained everything to you and how you were going to deal with it. One of them said they would be your personal helper when it came to feminine things. She was like an older sister to you. Her name was Evra, she was the one who taught you to do everything with the ribbons. 

Others were talking about how once you began to bleed, you would be old enough to join some of the other "acts". You didn't know what they were talking about, but it made Jerome furious. He would get so angry at them that he would even throw things when they were arguing. He never explained it to you, but he always mumbled how you wouldn't end up like his mother. Those same people worried that you would end up getting pregnant, but those rumors were dealt with by Jerome in the same way as you joining a different act. 

"Jerome, do you promise you will always be there for me?" You asked while you changed into your sleeping wear. You didn't care that you were changing in front of Jerome. That didn't matter, you knew he would look away. He was a gentleman, unlike others that he started to warn you about. 

"Of course, why do you ask?" He glanced over when he heard that you were finished. You were wearing one of his t-shirts since it was so big on you. You walked back over to the bed and laid down under the blankets. 

"I don't know. I just keep hearing others saying things that aren't nice. They say that we won't always be together. They say something will happen that will keep us apart..." You mumbled, turning on your side. Your back was now facing his, as you stared at the bland color of the tent. You tried to focus on the sound of the rain that was falling outside instead of the hot tears that were starting to roll down your cheeks. 

"Don't listen to them. They're assholes." He laid down as well, though he was on the outside of the blankets while you were wrapped up in them. He wrapped his one around you, trying to comfort you. He knew you were crying. He could tell by the change in your breathing and how your body was shaking. He hated to see you this sad. 

"So, you promise you will always be there?" You asked. 

"Yes, I promise." 

Jerome was glad you were facing the tent instead of facing him. He didn't want you to see the look on his face because he knew you would be scared. It was getting harder for him to deal with the rage that was building up in him. Hearing that just lit one of the matches in his stomach, setting the coals on fire again. He couldn't help but get furious about what they were telling you. 

Once he knew you were asleep, he snuck out of your tent. He made sure to tie the flap that was the entrance tightly, so it didn't flap open with the wind and rain. He didn't want you to get cold. As soon as he finished that, he stormed away, even worse than the actual storm that was happening up above the circus. He was going to deal with those rumors that were flying around and he was going to make sure that they stopped, now.


End file.
